Where the dreams shall bleed
by liravell
Summary: Have you ever wondered how Tenzin and Lin broke up? Have you ever wondered why? Bad things happen. Emotions take control. Decisions have to be taken. Will they make good choices or their dreams will be crushed into pieces?
1. Shattered Future

Chapter One: Shattered Future

The sky slowly turned dark purple forcing the downtown residents to turn on the lights in their houses. Characteristic for this district smell of old oil used for preparing the dinner was coming from the roadside restaurants. Building, built in different architectural styles were squeezed close to each other forming a lot of dark alleys that were perfect for criminals. The downtown was the most frequently patrolled part of the Republic City.

Loud scream forced way through rushing noise of satomobile engines coming from the street. After a while Lin Beifong looked at a bandit with a knife standing in front of an elder woman. As soon as he heard footsteps thief released the woman and turned away. When he saw a young policewoman he smiled strangely and started running. Lin sent a metal rope in his direction which wrapped itself around his wrist holding him until he turned and blew fire in Lin's direction. Metalbender did a quick dodge and murmured something while looking at the criminal. The woman started to chase him. Her green eyes followed the movements of the fugitive among the crowd on the sidewalk. Man ran into a narrow alley and the young police officer followed him. Before she even knew she was surrounded by four men. Lin Beifong was good, very good but if all of them were benders she had no chance.

Men started to bend. One of them water, the other two bended earth. The thief who she was chasing was also there. Lin knew there was no chance that she'll came out of this unscathed but she wasn't going to die today. The fight began. The first two stones that were thrown at her smashed against rocks that grew from the ground. She tied the firebender with her metal rope and quickly ducked before deadly, sharp pieces of ice flying towards her. Feeling that the ground beneath her is going to explode she jumped away and while she threw a rock at one of the attacker so hard that he lost his consciousness, a piece of compressed earth hit her in the leg impetuously making her fall. The pain flowed through Beifong's body. The waterbender rapidly pinned her arms to the ground so she couldn't move. Lin, however, made a quick movement with her leg and the men got thrown in the air by an earth column. Releasing her hands from ice she looked at the criminals. One tied up. One knocked out. Only two of them left. She tried to avoid stone disks and icy daggers which was quite hard with broken leg but she managed to reach the waterbender and immobilized him in a mound of earth. She turned around just in time to see a blade flying toward her. The man smiled watching as the blade broke through the metal costume just to stab itself in young policewoman's body. Lin screamed in pain and fell to her knees. Blood slowly flowed from the wound. The bender turned away to help his fellows but he didn't notice a small stone that hit him in head. Beifong laughed roughly. She watched her blood coming from the wound and mixing with dirt on the street. Small vertigo caused her to fall on the ground. Last thing she heard before she fainted was the sound of footsteps. She couldn't tell whether it was a sound of salvation or a death sentence.

Tenzin walked into one of thousands similar, white rooms in the public hospital of the Republic City. The difference between this one and the others was that there was only one bed here. When he saw silhouette laying surrounded by white his eyes filled with tears.

Under a white bedding lay a body of a young woman in her twenties. Her silhouette was slim and athletic. Her mahogany hair was scattered on a pillow and painfully reminded that she was unconscious. If it was different she would pin them up as always. The only person who had right to touch them was standing at the door of the room.

Her narrow eyebrows were frowning as in the expression of anxiety or pain. In contrast to this, her shapely lips seemed peaceful, for the first time in a long time not clenched in frustration or anger. Her pale skin was marked with traces of a fight. Her wrists had unhealthy, red colour where one of the attackers hit her with streams of water to immobilize her during the attack.

It wasn't the first time Tenzin saw her on a hospital bed but this one was the most serious. He couldn't live like that. Every time she went to work he was worried about her. She couldn't just let the others take the case or call someone to help her. She really liked her work and maybe that was the problem. He loved her and he'd sacrifice his own life just to keep her safe but she loved the risk, she loved to fight. That's who she was and he had to learn that.

Airbender turned away and silently left the hospital.

First thing Lin felt was soft bedding around her. She took a breath and sensed the characteristic smell of hospital. When she felt a cool gust of wind she opened her eyes. She saw a familiar look of the Republic City's hospital. Lin tried to stand up but when she did she felt only pain. She fell back on the hospital bed and uncovered herself. Her leg was broken but now it was almost working, probably thanks to some waterbending healer. She was looking at the bandage around abdomen when she heard a voice.

'How are you doing, chief?' said woman dressed in Water Tribe tunic walked into the room.

'Kya?' asked policewoman surprised. 'What are you doing here?'

'I've heard that you got in trouble so I came' answered Kya.

'Yeah, sure' Lin said with a little smile on her face. 'The broken leg is your work, isn't it?'

'Yes, it is. But they don't have good healers here!' responded waterbender as in a self-defense.

The silence fell while two women just enjoyed their own company and observed how they changed through the years. Then Kya reminded herself of something and her face started to look concerned.

'Lin, there's something I have to tell you' Kya started with soft, gentle voice.

'Go on.' Lin replied prepared for everything.

'Your wound from the earth dagger stuck very deep… It damaged some… I managed to heal part of it but there are some thing that I can't heal…'

'What do you mean?' asked the metalbender impatiently.

'I'm afraid you can't have children, Lin.' said the healer softly.

One time when Beifong was a little girl she climbed up the tree. Her feet slipped and she fell ten feet to the ground, landing on her back. The impact knocked every wisp of air from her lungs, and she just lay there unable to breath, to move, to do anything. That's how she felt now, unable to speak, trying to remember how to breathe.

She haven't thought much about having children, she always hoped that in the right time she'll become a good mother… Better than hers… Lin didn't want to have children yet, but the perspective of her own family being taken from her hurt more than anything she had ever experienced. The pain in her chest made her cry.

Kya hugged her carefully. The healer observed her friend with tears in her blue eyes. She watched Beifong's body moving with every sob. She couldn't even imagine the pain. After a while Lin couldn't cry anymore, there were no tears left, only big, empty hole in place of her heart. Young policewoman lay back on her bed calmly. Staring at one point on the wall she asked one question.

'Does Tenzin know?' her voice seemed to be weak.

'No. I thought you'd like to tell him yourself. I haven't told anyone' said Kya.

'That's good.' answered Beifong but this time her voice sounded differently.

After these words the waterbender felt useless and decided to go out leaving Lin alone.

Next morning doctors released Lin from the hospital. When she put one her police uniform she felt a little bit better. She walked to the mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes were still red from crying which made her look tired and weak. She pinned her dark hair and washed her face with cold water. Repeating in her head that she's fine, she left the hospital room as fast as she could. She almost run through hallway until she finally reached the door and left the building. She entered a police satomobile that was parked near the hospital. Beifong drove the machine smoothly between other satomobiles on the road. When she turned in the other street she saw giant building of the police headquarters. She parked the car under the building and walked into it. Lin walked through the maze of corridors with surprising agility. She came to her office just to see Tenzin standing there. He was standing with his back to the entrance, dressed in traditional Airbender's clothing. His grey eyes were observing the view from the window until he heard footsteps. He turned around

'What… what are you doing here?' asked the woman scared and surprised at the same time.

'Well, I know you Lin. You want to catch the boss of those criminals, don't you?' responded the airbender with conviction.

'Yes, I do.' answered policewoman laconically.

'Lin, I know that you love this job and want to help the city but maybe not this time? You've just came out of the hospital and I have reasons to believe that this attack was a trap planned by the Triple Threat Triad and they are more than dangerous. You can't beat them alone and you know that. I beg you to let others take this case.'

They had this conversation thousand times.

'You don't understand. I can't leave it. Not this time.' said Lin while grabbing some stuff from her desk.

Tenzin looked at her with disappointment in his big, blue-grey eyes. He felt like she wasn't even listening him. He came up to her trying to stop her for a minute.

'Lin, I understand…'

She turned around with madness in her eyes and started to pummel his chest with her fists desperately.

'No, you don't! You do not understand!' she shouted hitting him with each word.

Her hits were weaker as she started crying.

'Tenzin, I can't have children!' Lin whispered weakly. She was shaking.

The airbender looked at her in shock. He just stood there unable to say anything, unable to help. Paralyzed because of what it meant. For him. For them. After those four words time stopped for a minute. When he returned to reality Lin was already gone.


	2. Shining Illusion

Chapter Two: Shining Illusion

A year ago Lin'd say that her apartment is small but since Suyin – her sister, moved out it seemed too big, too silent. The policewoman walked into her room. It was almost empty. The small, wooden bed stood in the center looking like a lonely island. Green closet was placed in the corner near two chairs and a white table covered with books. And that was it. No drapery curtains, no pictures on the walls, no souvenirs or cups left in hurry on the table. Nothing too personal. The only thing that made this room stand out among the others were walls. Originally they were white but someone decided to paint them. Complicated patterns on the wall created amazing image of a forest. The artist knew what to do with a brush. Lin could still remember the day when she started painting. She had a free day so she asked Tenzin if he wanted to help her with it. Beifong knew that he was a terrible artist but she just wanted to spend some time with him. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. They ended up covered in paint, kissing each other. But the painting took a lot of time. When she came home from work and couldn't sleep she started to paint. Line after line, day after day until there was no more space to cover.

Lin walked to her bed and took off her metal armour. She left it on the floor like an empty shell. She lay on the bed, eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. Trying. In reality she was just turning from side to side and looking for a comfortable position to sleep but it wasn't a mattress that kept her awake. She just couldn't stop thinking. About everything - about her life, her job, her relationships... And then she calmed down, reminding herself why she fell in love with Tenzin. He always brought her hope, he always did the unpredictable and always fixed everything. She fell asleep with a single, delusive thought in her mind that maybe... maybe not everything was lost.

The woman woke up with a scream. Her whole body was covered with sweat, dark hair in a mess, muscles strained, hand covering the new scar. She could still feel the pain. _Just a dream, just another nightmare_ , she kept telling herself in her mind. She looked through the window. It was morning. Rays of the sun shining into the room made the air hot like in an oven. Lin got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom leaving the doors open. The rest of the apartment seemed a lot cooler. She made a small breakfast and quickly dressed herself. After she left the building she headed towards the port. Lin was always a little bit angry that there was no way the earthbender could get on the Air Temple Island alone. She didn't want any audience.

Three boats made to transport anyone who wasn't an airbender to the island were in the same place as always. When the boatman saw her he nodded his head in gesture of welcome. He was a quiet waterbender that worked there for a long time. The journey was quick and filled with silent tension. When they arrived to the temple Lin felt relieved to feel the ground under her feet but she was also more stressed about the conversation she was about to have. When she came closer to the buildings she noticed an Air Acolyte she knew.

'Hi!' she said coming up and interrupting him in sweeping the leaves.

'Hello, Lin!' responded older man, dressed in traditional outfit. 'I haven't seen you here for a long time'

'I had a lot of work.' answered Lin shortly. 'Can you tell me where Tenzin is?'

'I saw him in the meditation pavilion, something like an hour ago' said Tashi smiling.

Lin thanked him and walked away. Fast rhythm of her steps on the ground reflected the sound of her beating heart. When she arrived to the pavilion Tenzin was just walking out. When he noticed her his eyes winded in surprise for a moment so short that Lin wasn't sure if it wasn't just her imagination. She wanted to run away but somehow she forced herself to stand still. She looked him in the eyes as he walked up to her slowly. His grey eyes were kind of a mystery for her. What did he feel? Pain? Anger? Or maybe disappointment. If he wanted he could hide emotions under a coat of calmness like his father, like every Air Nomad. She never thought that she could conceal her feelings like this. When everything started to blur she realized she had tears in her eyes. She tried to stop them but one crystal drop escaped from her jade eye.

When Tenzin saw it falling down her cheek, he looked down. He knew how it's going to end and he was overwhelmed with guilt. He knew that this wasn't her last tear. He wanted to be sure that she'll never cry again. He wanted to keep her safe from any distress but he couldn't. He loved her but love was an egoistic thing and he couldn't let himself be egoistic. Not this time.

'Can we go somewhere to talk?' asked Lin even thought she formed words with difficulty.

This one talk could change everything.

'Of course.' answered Tenzin a little bit too quickly.

She followed him as he walked away from the main buildings to a more peaceful part of the island. Hidden between green trees there was a beautiful, wooden arbor covered with ivy. They used to sit there on sunny days, Lin reading and Tenzin playing with her long, dark hair. Airbender sat on a bench while Beifong stood in front of him nervously.

'I thought we need to talk.' she whispered pacing _?back and forth?_. – it's ok

'I suppose we do' replied man with sadness in his voice. 'You have to believe me… I don't want to do this, Lin.'

'I know' her voice broke in the middle of this short answer.

She took a few breaths and holding back tears she continued.

'I know you Tenzin. You can't disappoint your father, you can't just sentence the whole race to extinction. You'll sacrifice everything for the sake of the world. That's who you are.'

She sat next to him and looked him in the eyes. She knew that she asked for much. She knew that probably it would be just more painful but she wanted it. She wanted this illusion of happiness because it was all she could have.

'Lin, I'm so…'

'Shhh…' the woman placed her finger on his lips. 'I have only one request. Give me a week. One week of normal, sweet life with my beloved. One week and then we will forget about each other.'

The woman looked at him with hope and pain trapped in her green eyes. He took her hand off his lips, laced their fingers and pulled her closer. Lin's eyes widened in shock as Tenizn kissed her. His warm lips pressed against hers. The kiss was soft, gentle and slow. Beifong didn't realize that she was crying until the airbender broke the kiss to wipe her tears.

'Does it mean we have a deal?' she asked.

'Deal.' he whispered.

A/N: I wanted to apologize that it took me so long and thank my beta for checking it for me even if it's just pathetic and cheesy crap :)


End file.
